I bought a box of overhead projector clear plastic sheets last summer at a garage sale and thought they would be perfect to line my MISTI grid sheets.  You could use any clear acetate, but I have another solution as well.  I used my paper trimmer and cut the overhead projector sheets down to the size of the grid and cut a spare as well. I also wrote inch marks on the left side of the grid paper that I’m keeping in the MISTI, since I’m left handed so the MISTI measurements start at 8″ on the bottom when I use it.
I bought a set of 6 Non-Slip Vinyl Template Sheets on Amazon and here’s the link to them.  If you are a member of Amazon Prime, they are $4.79 for the set.
https://www.amazon.com/Dritz-Quilting-Non-Slip-Template-6-Count/dp/B004BQXG3M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486524201&sr=8-1&keywords=non+slip+vinyl+template
The non-slip vinyl templates need to be cut to the card sizes you want to hold in place in your MISTI.  You will need heavy duty scissors for this and I recommend the short bladed Tim Holtz scissors, as they are great for cutting anything heavy duty.  I cut out one that is 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ tall and one that is 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ tall and one that ix 5 x 7″ and lastly, one that will work for the top layer you’d put over an A2 size card which is 4 ” x 5 1/4″ wide.  I cut so the outer portion that doesn’t have any grid lines is not on our vinyl that’s left behind.

You’ll be able to use this vinyl so your cards won’t move if you have the right size in place, and I had some left over pieces that I used to put 1″ lines on it so they can be used to center sentiments in the MISTI.  I had two that were 6 1/2″ long and 1″ wide so I made 1″ marks the whole length and now I have an easy way to center sentiments and make sure long sentiments in clear acrylic are straight as well.
The templates are from Cyndie and the videos are by Maureen Wong  (I apologize for using the wrong name) and here is a link to the videos that explains how to use these templates as well as the download information.

I haven’t used the templates from Cyndie, but they seem like a really great tool for the creative stamper.

The six pieces of vinyl have two that are plain and four with grids.  I used all four with grids and then the two extras can be used in place of the overhead projector sheets to put on top of your MISTI grid sheet they provide.

Lastly, My Sweet Petunia has a free downloadable grid sheet to print to help to center sentiments.

Don’t forget that if you are right handed, you’ll want to rotate your MISTI so the door is on the right side when making your grid sheets.

I spent a lot of the afternoon and evening working on a card for my nephew who won a prestigious scholarship in nursing school.  He’s a really wonderful, caring man and I just wanted to do something nice for him.  Rich and I are looking into the best gift card for good restaurants close to his apartment.  I could have made a card with a gift card insert, but it didn’t even occur to me when I was making it.  Of course it didn’t, geez!

I spent several hours on one card and by the time I was finished with it and the video, I knew with 100% certainty, it was going in the trash.  It was so bad, I don’t think it could have gotten any worse.  I know you think I’m exaggerating, but here’s how I can prove I’m right.  Rich looked at the final product, a completely different card, and said something like, “your cards have come so far, they are so much better than when you started this.”  I took that as a big compliment, but wanted to show him that I really haven’t come as far as he thought so I pulled the first card out of the garbage can and he started laughing really hard, and said “you can’t win them all.”  Obviously not.

The biggest issue with the garbage can card (that’s a great name for it), was the embossing.  It was on craft card stock and the ink wasn’t consistent, which made the powder inconsistent, which made the melted powder a mess.  I’ve had a really hard time getting good consistency in my embossing and I’m wondering if it could be my heat gun.  I know every big crafter recommends the Hero Arts version and if I had known that when I started, I would have bought it instead of the only one I could find in a 40 miles radius, at Joanns.  Mine burns paper easily and bubbles the embossing powder, even when I keep it moving and if you watch me, you probably think I’m wildly moving the heat gun, but I’m just trying to avoid smoking, scorching or bubbled powder.  I’m not sure what else it could be.  My Versamark pad has been replaced with the Distress pad, so that’s not the issue, and I just don’t know what it could be.  If you have any thoughts on embossing and heat guns in general, please let me know, as I think I’ll be shopping on Friday.   My cousin and I are having lunch near a bunch of craft stores then doing some shopping.  She’s interested in making cards and I’m just the girl to show her what she needs.  Of course she would never need as much as I have (because I’m a crafting shop-a-holic), but I’m hoping I can help her with the basics.   I’ll make a box of things to help her get started.  Even small purchases like inks and acrylic blocks come at a price.  Since I’m a crafty hoarder, I’m always happy to share.  I think we’ll have a great afternoon and will give you all the details of our crafty purchases and our afternoon of fun!

I wanted to make another covered note pad and love this Rubbernecker birch tree stamp.

I bought my note pad from the Dollar Tree and measured it. If you make one, you measure the width of your pad and write that down. Then you measure the length and double that for the back and then measure the top from front to back and add that measurement on. I made a mark on my paper where top of the front of my notepad would be then put the paper in my MISTI and centered the Rubbernecker birch tree stamp on it. I used Fabriano hot press watercolor paper that was 140 pounds that I bought at A C Moore. I cut my watercolor paper a little over the width of my memo pad and left the length of the watercolor paper intact. My measurements ended up being 12 1/2″ long and 4 1/4″ wide. I had to cut separate strips of paper to adhere them to the watercolor paper to make the length correct. I used a green card stock and cut it to the length and width of each side and lined each side with it.
I sprayed my stamp with water then added watercolor crayons from Stampin’ Up (they are discontinued), then stamped it. I used grey and green and a little bit of yellows when stamping it. Then I decided to use watercolor pencils to add more color so used a variety of pencils. I used mainly Prismacolor pencils and used a wet brush and moved some of the green around in the grassy spot. I added another round of green on the stamp and stamped it so the darker green was more vibrant in the background. I didn’t think the green was defined enough so used Gumball Green Stampin’ Up ink and inked my stamp and then got frustrated and masked the background and used a grass stamp and stamped it in the bottom section of the grassy area to get the grassy definition. I put a mask on the circle and decided to press Weathered Wood Distress Ink on the paper all around the mask and covered the entire front of my paper. I splattered white water color paint on my grey background.
To make my pen holder, I cut a piece of cardstock 1″ by 4″ and wrapped it around the pen and put tear tape inside up to the spot where the circle opens for the pen to fit. I also put tear tape on one side of the outside of the pen holder as the other side was to be attached to tear tape and the other side that I put tear tape on, would end up attached to the paper that has no glue.
I took another piece of paper that was about 1.25″ wide by 8″ wide and then folded it around the back cardboard of our memo pad and then made sure it had tear tape on the part that wraps around the back and then take the backing off and attach it to the inside back of the cover. I put a row of tear tape on the top of the inside of the cover and pressed the pad into the top to hopefully hold it in place.

My measurements will only work for this pad and if you buy this pad at Dollar Tree, I’d still measure it before cutting as I’ve found the covers are not all cut to the same length and width.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and although Rich loves the game, I’m not really into it.  I’m making good use of my time doing laundry and making a few videos.  I like to make sure I’m always a few ahead of Rich.

I made a really great card using the big Simon Says Stamp that JM gave me in her goodie box.  I really love that stamp and thought it would be fun to make my own stamp pad with baby wipes and re inkers.  I’m really not sure where my brain was at, as I used Distress Inks and they just didn’t want to stamp because the wet baby wipe kept diluting them, I think.  Anyway, the card started out as a fail and progressed to the point that I’m really proud of it.  Sometimes that happens when I made cards, or really anything.  I start out with one idea and it evolves into something else.   This one was pretty scary, but somehow I held it together long enough to turn it into something fun and interesting.

Since I had one good result, I decided to go for two and tried to make a card with multiple layers.  My colors didn’t blend well and I was just off.  It looks really bad and I think this one is going into the trash.  I used a couple of different colors of purples and somehow, they blended into what looks like a brown color.  I would have expected that if I had been using different colors that aren’t “friends” on the color wheel, but I’ve never seen it happen with the same color and using a different shade.

This is the second time I’ve tried to use this technique and I think I’m going to completely change up what I am doing and try something else.  What?  I’m not sure, but I need to make a thank you card and a congratulations card and both I’ve attempted twice and both have been total fails.  I think I’ll take a short break and try to simplify one of the cards and make something easy and fun.  That should take come of the pressure off of me.  After all, I don’t have to be JM all the time.

I’ve been working on a stamp layering technique and using the floral Rubbernecker stamps with it.  I think their stamps are so easy to layer once you figure out their system.  It all begins with the photo they include in their packaging. Put a piece of card stock where you want it in your MISTI and lay the photo of the stamped image on your card stock where you want your image to print.  Then lay the stamp that’s got the rough shape of the image, (not a lined image) onto the photo exactly where it lines up with the image and close the door of your MISTI on your stamp.  Next, remove the photo and ink the stamp with different colors to get a nice multi colored effect.  Stamp the image until you like the coloring, then lay the lined stamp onto your stamped image, lining it up like you did with the photo, only this time you are using what you have stamped as your guide.

It’s really very simple, just don’t throw out the photo or you’re in a world of hurt.  I made that mistake with the very first Rubbernecker layered stamp and won’t do that again.  I absolutely loved playing with these and can’t wait for Rich to get to this video to upload.  I think he’s about six behind right now,  I keep him hopping.  He loves seeing the results and is really proud of the channel and how it’s growing.  He’s like a proud dad and it’s been great sharing this experience with him.  He’s the best partner in crafting and more importantly, in life.  We’ve been married for 34 years and together 37.   On Valentine’s Day, I’ll devote my blog to “all about Rich.”  I hope you’ll take the time to read all about him.

I’ve been working on making more covered journals to send as thank you gifts to the wonderful people at Rubbernecker Stamps.  I have made four of them (but only videotaped three) and I think the last is my favorite.  I made a memo pad cover with Rubberneckers’ birch trees background stamp.  It isn’t a huge stamp but has terrific impact whenever you use it.  I used so many techniques with this project from stamping with watercolor crayons, to masking, to stamping over the watercolors with inks, to splattering paint on my end result.  I have to say that this was one of those projects that I just wasn’t sure about, but in the end, I absolutely loved it.  It’s masculine but not overly masculine and it’s portable art.  I think that’s what I like best about making covered notebooks with different stamping techniques.  The recipient ends up with something useful but also something that is really beautiful as well.

Let’s face it, I think my viewers are going to be sick of covered notebooks by the time they get to this video, but once I got started, I just couldn’t stop.  I had so much fun using Rubbernecker stamps as well as using all of the new techniques I’ve used that it’s been addicting and I just couldn’t stop.  I guess that’s the problem with being me, I never know when enough is enough and just keep going.

After watching my videos on “becoming Jennifer McGuire,” Jennifer sent me this lovely box of goodies.

She sent Hero Arts ink pads that I kept referring to as stamps,, Distress Ink mini pads that I referred to as re inkers, Distress Markers, a Simon Says Stamp Background Stamp called  Elizabeth, and a really cute card (that of course I’m going to have to try this technique.)   I’m sorry I was so flustered, I’m not sure why I was saying so many things incorrectly.

Thanks Jennifer, for the great box of goodies and card.

I wanted to do a watercolor technique where you use watercolor crayons and spray the stamp with water then rub the stamp with the crayons and stamp it.  It’s a really fun technique, but I’m not very good at it.  I think we’ll probably have to cut about thirty minutes out of the video, because I just kept trying and re-trying to make the image cleaner, but just couldn’t do it.  I realize this technique is supposed to give you a nice water color effect, but I must have been using too much pigment, as mine had big splotches of color in places that I just wanted fine lines.  The splotches were supposed to be grass but looked more like rocks or weird looking shrubbery.  In the end, I figured out a way to make the technique work, by stamping with ink in the places I had previously water colored.

Of course that’s not the only problem with my project.  I wrote down the dimensions and cut all of the patterned paper that I had that matched the stamped image.  Of course I cut all of the paper about 1/4″ too narrow, thereby making all of the paper unusable for my plan.  In the end, I settled for a plain green paper and although I think it would have looked better with the other paper, it still looked pretty great with the plain green.  If only I remembered that rule about measuring twice and cutting once.  Where are those sayings when I need them?
I’m really happy with this project and hope I find more ideas that make me as happy as this one did once I was finished with it.

I saw this technique on Lindsay’s channel and asked her if I could make a video using it and she said “sure.”   Before I start though, I wanted to say that you don’t really need the re inkers for this technique.  You can use your ink pads and at one point early in the video, I show how to run your brush on the side of a Distress ink pad where there is normally small amounts of ink.  You don’t need a lot of ink, so you can press your ink pad onto a plate or tile and get enough ink to do this technique, or use re inkers if you have them.
I started with Fabriano 140lb. hot press watercolor paper and Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder and used them on a really lovely background stamp called Peony Garden from “The Ton” stamps.  My paper was 6″ wide and about 10″ long and needed to be longer than the stamp so you have somewhere to hold onto it.  I heat set it and then used two ceramic tiles for palettes and taped my watercolor paper to a plastic cutting board to hold it for me.
I used one drop of each of the following Distress Inks.  Dried Marigold, Ripe Persimmon, Mowed Lawn, Fired Brick,  Barn Door,  Peeled Paint and Stormy Sky.   I also used Cranberry Crisp ink from Stampin’ Up.
I bought brushes from Royal and Langnickel Aqualon and Majestic as Lindsay advised me that those were great brushes to start with.  I found them at AC Moore on sale.
I realized I could be the slowest water color painter of all time and did mention in the video (Rich cut it out in an attempt to get the video length down), that you need to hold your wrist straight and that is tiring after painting for a short time.  If you have any wrist/hand issues, I just thought I’d mention that..   Also, I used a very tiny brush for a lot of my painting because I don’t have much control and it allowed me to control my where the paint went better than the larger brush.
To make the cards, I used background 110 lb. Recollections white card stock. 5 1/2″ X 4 1/4″.
My sentiments came from MSE called Hand Written stamp set and the other was from Rubbernecker Freehand Phrase set #900.
The MSE sentiment I put on a piece of card stock that matched the background paper on my card.  It was 1 1/2″ wide and 4″ long but I cut it down after so that it fit on the card.  The second card, I used red paper 4 x 5 1/4″ to layer on my white card stock and put my Rubbernecker sentiment on it and heat set the Princess gold embossing powder from Ranger that I used on both sentiments.
The card with the rust sentiment starts with the 5 1/2 x 4 1/4″ and then the gold layer is 5 1/4  x 4″ then the rust layer is 5 x 3 3/4″ and then cut the watercolor paper to 4 3/4 x 3 1/2″.  I cut my sentiment thinner and made it into a banner to fit on the top of the card.  I added foam tape behind the sentiment to layer it on the card.
The second card, is 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 and the red layer is 5 1/4 x 4″  and then cut the watercolor piece to 5″ tall and not very wide, just wide enough to get the rose on it and leave room for the sentiment.  I took two pieces of the gold paper left over from the other card and cut strips that were 1″ X 5″ that I attached to the back of the rose with tape runner then added foam tape behind the whole piece and layered it on the left side of the card.  I used Glossy Accents on both flowers and really loved the results.  I thought both cards were really elegant and loved learning this new technique.
Thanks Lindsay, for your help and inspiration.  I really appreciate it!

It’s amazing when I look at the card I made for our great niece three or four months ago.  We just found the video and Rich put it up.  It’s got torn paper and a watercolor hippo and is the next post after this one.  My card making has really improved by learning and using a lot of different techniques in a short amount of time.  I’ve enjoyed learning new things and especially seeing how they look once I put them to use.

I have a video that Rich is editing that is a watercolor technique that Lindsay taught.  I loved learning it and hope that the end result makes the long video worth watching.

Today, I made an embossed distress look note book cover and used some of the Rubbernecker stamps I got as a lovely gift from the owners of Rubberneckers.  I thought it would be fun to make them some gifts with their stamps, so am making a junior legal pad holder, a post-it-note holder, as well as a couple of small memo pads that I’m covering with paper that has their stamps on them.  I have three finished and need to do one more with a manly look to it.  I’m having a lot of fun using their stamps and hopefully, making things they will find a use for once they receive them.  They’ve been so wonderfully generous with me, I want to do something that shows them just how much I appreciate their generosity.

I have been having so much fun trying to think outside the box for the gifts I’m making them and wouldn’t you know, I ran out of ideas when I got to the last gift I wanted to make.  Of course, that’s how things work for me.  Three down and one to go, and I have no idea what to do.  I really need to put my thinking cap on.  That’s a job for tomorrow.  Tonight, my crafting brain is spent.